The Experiential Classroom clinic at Oklahoma State University provides faculty with the tools they need to teach entrepreneurship.

Infusing entrepreneurship into the classroom starts with teachers, and teachers have to start somewhere.

Experiential Classroom gives educators from all backgrounds the inspiration and information they need to teach entrepreneurship. The three-day event, hosted annually by Oklahoma State University’s School of Entrepreneurship, is intended for new faculty, seasoned educators who are retooling their curricula, and entrepreneurs entering the classroom for the first time to teach their trade.

Directed by Michael Morris, N. Malone Mitchell Chair in Entrepreneurship at Oklahoma State University, Experiential Classroom was launched in 2000 and offers participants experiential teaching techniques, best classroom practices, networking opportunities and resources.

“We have modules on experiential learning through simulations, business models, cases--everything from having entrepreneurs in the classroom to how to give a great lecture,” Morris said.

Experiential Classroom XIII will take place September 20-23, 2012, at the university’s facilities in Tulsa and Stillwater, Okla. Clinic topics are delivered by some of the top entrepreneurship educators in the world, and include helping students master their creativity, presenting a fantastic lecture, teaching students how to sell, building successful entrepreneurship programs, teaching a social entrepreneurship course, and linking the classroom to community outreach.

Learning entrepreneurial skills, Morris said, is critical for students’ professional survival. In the job market, entrepreneurial and creative thinking skills make students more competitive, marketable and attractive to prospective employers. And these skills are especially vital for engineers.

“We need more engineers who can take technologies and develop economic and social value and solve problems,” he said. “We don’t want engineering schools to produce mechanics. We want them to produce change agents.”

Morris, recognized as the 2012 Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year by the United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, founded the School of Entrepreneurship at Oklahoma State University in 2008. The school focuses on providing students with a  curriculum that features a relevant mix of courses; the opportunity to engage in community outreach with a focus on entrepreneurship; and student support programs such as on-campus clubs, incubators and mentoring programs.

For more information about the Experiential Classroom at Oklahoma State University’s School of Entrepreneurship, visit entrepreneurship.okstate.edu/riata/classroom.

A collection of teaching resources such as academic papers and activities from past Experiential Classroom workshops is available at entrepreneurship.okstate.edu/riata/classroom/resources.

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